If you’ve ever pored over glossy images of smart, newly done-up interiors, you have no doubt spotted spaces with what appear to be vintage, warm and slightly worn timber floors running throughout them, and you may have wondered how the folks who inhabit these environs managed to inherit such a genuine, old wood, flooring surface. The truth is, there is every chance that what you are admiring is not what it appears, not antique at all.
Our client knew they wanted a floor that reminded them of their Danish homeland for the refurbishment of the lower ground floor in their Victorian home in East London. Pale, light and airy were the keywords. We knew our Landmark Ascott would fit the bill perfectly to get the Scandi look they desired.
Parquet flooring for the home has experienced quite the renaissance in the last few years. Defined simply as timber flooring composed of wood blocks or “battens” laid in geometric patterns, parquet flooring has a long, esteemed history. Although its popularity waned in the last half of the twentieth century, its use, whether it is herringbone, chevron, or other patterns, has become increasingly popular in recent years. This revival, however, has shown modern parquet to depart from its earlier use and application in several distinct ways.
The owners of a charming Victorian house on a quiet street in Islington had their heart set on a green colour scheme for their living room. When it came to choosing the floor, they knew they wanted a deep, rich colour to offset the verdant walls rather than a more golden oak shade. The brief stated the floor should pay homage to the original boards that would have been used in 1850 when the house was constructed.
Among the many desirable features of our floors is that most of them are sealed with hardwax oil. Based on natural plant oils and waxes, this exceptional floor finish, in addition to being water repellent, and stain and abrasion resistant, creates a surface on the wood that is both pleasing to the eye and to the touch.
If these features are not enough, then the ease of routine maintenance certainly must be factored in, but perhaps hardwax oil’s most enduring benefit for the homeowner is that its natural finish is entirely renewable, that is, it can be topped up if and when necessary.
With spring finally having sprung, the blossom season in full swing, and gardens looking greener by the day, we thought we'd look back at a project by Bridget Reading ID, completed last summer, where it’s all about bringing the outside in.
The interior makes the most of new-found light with a double-height cosy sitting room, lush green wallpaper mimicking the greenery from the garden, and our warm grey Strata Glen herringbone floor offering elegance and character.
One of the most common questions we encounter in our showrooms runs along the lines of, “We just moved into an old property, and we have old pine floorboards. Should we try to restore them or should we replace them with new timber flooring?” Now, we do have a dog in this race, and it should come as a surprise to no one that the answer from Solid Floor will unequivocally be, “You should go for new timber flooring. That said, the practical reasons for this are many.
We met Mata Architects when Solid Floor’s HQ resided in Notting Hill’s Great Western Studios and have been following this growing practice with much interest. Our old neighbours were appointed by the team behind Berber&Q and Shawarma Bar to design and deliver their third venue; a neighbourhood restaurant located in a nineteenth-century industrial type space in Queens Park.
Feeling that New Year energy? Ready for future projects and fresh design challenges? Benefit from a 10% discount on timber across our bespoke collection on all supply and fit orders throughout January.
Read more about our new 12mm thick engineered oak flooring launch and the Sale special for 2022.
Pick up any current interior magazine, flip through glossy pages, and look at the photographs of the stylish rooms. What do you see on the floors? Parquet…you see lots and lots and parquet, so much so that you would be tempted to think that parquet flooring, those floors of shaped pieces of timber, such as herringbone, chevron, and Versailles pattern have just arrived on the interior design scene. That, however, is not the case. Parquet flooring has a long, interesting history.
Last year Michaelis Boyd architects completed a total refurbishment of a disused mews house in Notting Hill transforming it into a creative haven reflecting the energetic personality of its owners. The brief was a multifunctioning home serving as a relaxing retreat, creative workspace and entertaining venue, truly coming into its own during the lockdown.
A characterful family home in Wiltshire was given a new lease of life with the addition of what the owners called their “entertaining space”. The elegant dining and living area just off a refurbished kitchen and larder was created using our textured dark Magma Stromboli floor in a mixed width.
For the Shoreditch Design Triangle 2021, we are showcasing a collection of diverse models of our regular professional clients as well as local architects, celebrating the concept of thinking-through-making. This exhibition will continue in our EAST showroom until the 17th of October.
When Emma from Rupert Bevan got in touch with us for a floor for their new Notting Hill showroom, we were excited as we have encountered this firm’s bespoke furnishings on many projects we have worked on.
When our client Emma Milne was approached to reconfigure and renovate a four storey Victorian town house on the outskirts of Hove, she knew the less-is-more approach would work well here. The house itself had ‘great bones’, but the lay-out needed updating to echo modern life. She choose our mid-toned brown Landmark Tatton in a reclaimed look for the aged oak characteristic.
A timber floor can be the perfect addition to any room. From elegant dining rooms and contemporary living areas to chic workspaces, galleries, bars and restaurants, a natural timber floor can complement your décor and elevate your interior. Of course, getting the perfect finish means choosing the right type of flooring. To do this, you’ll want to find out everything you can about timber flooring, including what grading means and why it is relevant.
When you buy a newly built apartment off-plan and are confronted with what is basically an empty concrete shell on completion, it can be daunting for anyone. How do you add character and interest when there are no graceful mouldings or well-worn surfaces? Look how this bare space was turned into a welcoming home by adding lots of texture.
Meet Osterley, our latest addition to the Landmark collection. McCrum Interior Design was after a neutral floor with distinctive grey tones for a Lake house in the Cotswolds, and Osterley fitted the bill perfectly. The house itself sits within a new private estate consisting of modernist second homes surrounded by landscaped countryside and a series of lakes. Interestingly, the site itself was originally a network of gravel pits, transformed by developers with an ambitious vision.
As we are tentatively thinking of returning to our offices, we thought we’d have a closer look at the eye-catching floor we fitted at this large workspace for Moholondon. The design makes the most of the industrial setting and our Magma Stromboli oak floor fits right in. Who wouldn’t want to swap their kitchen table for this?
In 2016 the owners of Scenario Architecture, Maya and Ran, were looking to convert and extend a Victorian terraced house in Stoke Newington for their own family. They opted for a Tate floor, in the neutral colour Bute in an eye-catching herringbone pattern. The rough sawn effect, which is a distinctive feature of this range, offers a visual aspect that is specifically appealing to the architectural eye. In this project the textured herringbone battens are used in such a creative way, it made us sit up and take note.
Over the years we have collaborated with many retailers and restaurateurs and there is no time better than now to celebrate these beautiful spaces that give pleasure to our daily lives. Like everyone else, during lockdown we’ve missed popping into the shops, grabbing a pint in a pub, and sharing celebratory meals in nice dining rooms. We vow to never take these little luxuries for granted again.
Our centrally located showroom in West London is based just off Marylebone High Street, a stone’s throw away from the Conran shop and, very conveniently a few doors down from Farrow and Ball. Caravane, Designer’s Guild and The White Company are all close by making Marlebone Village a true design destination.
Last year we opened the doors to a large, new showroom just behind Columbia Road in the former Evans pottery workshop on Ezra Street, in the buzzing area of Shoreditch. It is a vast, atmospheric space with ample room to showcase our full wooden flooring collection in every pattern and finish imaginable.
There are few things as pleasing to the architectural eye as a beautiful floor seamlessly flowing into a staircase, visually linking one level to the next. Over the years we have enabled many architects and designers to create the most stunning staircases by crafting made to measure timber cuts, turning a series of humble steps into a thing of beauty.
Earlier this year we had team photography done on the corner of Ezra Street, with local photographer/new kid on the block @jackkitchenphotography. It was windy. It was cold. But more than anything it was fun as we don’t often have a chance to get together! Little did we know what was about to come...
Read on to see what we were up to during lockdown.
When Eelke, Solid Floor's founder, bought an ordinary modern flat off-plan in Hackney in 2014, he had a few years to dream up some radical changes. After getting the keys in 2017, he was not afraid to rip outdoors and move walls that had only just been erected. Fast forward 3 years and he has created this stunning home with some very clever design tricks that we can all learn from.
